MINNEAPOLIS, MN— Heads up adventure seekers! The Ovation Brands’ portfolio of restaurants has a roaring announcement to make. To kick off the New Year, they have teamed up with National Geographic Kids to take kids on imagination-based adventures that explore the enthralling world we live in during weekly Family Night interactive, educational-based activities. The family-friendly promotion happens every Thursday night, January 14th through February 25th at all participating Ryan’s®, HomeTown® Buffet, Old Country Buffet® and Country Buffet® locations. Contact the location nearest to you for more information. “This world has so much to offer and so much of it is left unexplored,” said Mike Griffith, Director of Marketing for Food Management Partners, Ovation Brands parent company. “These themed nights help children explore the world and embrace science in a captivating, family-friendly environment.” ACTIVITIES EACH WEEK Each week will feature a fun, education-based activity inspired by the National Geographic Kids Almanac, like learning the different sounds of the wild, exploring the origins of different popular foods, creating their own maps to understand how early explorers navigated the world and even the science behind how ice forms causing temperature changes in different areas of the world. The activities by week are as follows: - January 14 “Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!” invites kids to explore how different animals sound in a series of fun games and guides them through discovering what those sounds mean and why they’re important for life in the animal world. - January 21 “Foods From Around The World” invites kids to explore foods from around the world, their origin and even sample delicious featured favorites. - January 28 “Photo Safari” allows kids and families to explore the wild and use their imagination to transport them on a safari adventure. - February 4 “A Trip To The Amazon” explores how light and shadows can change the way the world is experienced and seen by others – using the Amazon rainforest as an example. - February 11 “Baby It’s Cold Outside” explores what happens to water when it freezes, the cold and snow. - February 18 “World Explorer” invites kids to learn about the importance of maps, the role they play in exploration and even create their own. - February 25 National Geographic Kids Activity sheet and DVD Sweepstakes Giveaway “The National Geographic Kids Almanac helps kids understand how much fun exploring the world can be,” said Ruth Chamblee, Director of Marketing for National Geographic Kids Books. “Our mission is to inspire generations of kids to discover new things through exploration, prepare them to be successful global citizens, and motivate positive culture connections to make the world a better place. Ovation Brands’ Family Nights are the perfect place for parents and children to gather to share the adventure with us.” In addition to the weekly events, themed National Geographic Kids activity sheets will also be distributed. Furthermore, more than 100 locations with video monitors will premiere the National Geographic “Polar Prowl” DVD each week. Those feeling lucky can enter a sweepstakes courtesy of VISITFLORIDA.COM, featuring a trip for a family of four to West Palm Beach, Florida including round-trip air transportation, hotel accommodations at Hilton West Palm Beach, admission for four to Lion Country Safari and more. For details on the sweepstakes visit www.NatGeoKidsSweeps.com. For more information about National Geographic Kids, related family-night activities, or to learn more about Ryan’s®, HomeTown Buffet®, Country Buffet® Old Country Buffet®, visit www.natgeokids.com, www.Ryans.com, www.HomeTownBuffet.com, and www.OldCountryBuffet.com. About National Geographic Kids National Geographic Kids is the leading U.S. publisher of nonfiction children’s books, including our bestselling Almanac, popular Weird But True series, expert-vetted leveled readers, and more. Our kid-friendly designs, age-appropriate text, and awe-inspiring images set our books apart. We have hundreds of books for kids of all ages, interests, and reading levels. About Ovation Brands® Ovation Brands® currently operates 319 restaurants in 35 states, comprised of 311 buffet restaurants and 10 Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse restaurants. The restaurants are principally operated under the Old Country Buffet®, HomeTown® Buffet and Ryan's® brands and serve approximately 80 million customers annually. For more information, visit www.OvationBrands.com.